Glass and Glazing Activity Continues Turnaround

Architectural glass-related spending in nonresidential construction was higher in November compared to the same time a year ago. Spending increased by 1.3% year-over-year on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to Key Media & Research (KMR), a leading information provider to the glass industry.

KMR’s glass and glazing activity figures are adapted and modified from private and public construction spending data, with proprietary weighting and models applied to industry-relevant subsectors. “Spending” and “activity” are used interchangeably and represent the value of ongoing glass-relevant construction during a particular period.

Commercial glazing activity rebounded in November, increasing 5.2% compared to the same month a year ago. Despite an ongoing drop of activity in the lodging category (a decline of just over 32%), office construction was up by over 3%, and the “other” commercial subcategory jumped by nearly 14%.

Even as the commercial side of glass and glazing spending reverses the negative trend of the past year, the institutional segment is still pulling back, as it declined by 2.8% from November 2020 to November 2021. Activity in healthcare building increased by 4%, while education-related construction dipped over 6%.

On a month-to-month basis, overall nonresidential glass and glazing activity was flat from October to November, with a slight uptick in commercial offset by a minor downtick in institutional.